Sixers' Joel Embiid was a big reason David West retired from the NBA

Sixers' Joel Embiid was a big reason David West retired from the NBA

Joel Embiid can damage the morale of players in a variety of ways. After all, the Philadelphia 76ers big man is quickly becoming one of the most dominant and powerful big men in the NBA.

And for recently-retired forward David West, facing off with Embiid played a role in his decision to call it a career. As he told Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area, that matchup provided a moment of clarity.

“When I got a chance to play against Embiid for the first time,” West recalled, “I was like, ‘Yo, it’s time to go, D. You have no business being out here with somebody that can do things like he does at this stage of your life.’”

For good measure, Los Angeles Lakers fans can also rejoice in the fact that their own young player played a role. West said on Twitter that guard Josh Hart “stood me up in the post twice” during a game, and he told himself to “hang it up” on that night.

Embiid has quickly become a headache for NBA opponents and is still improving his game as well. He managed to increase his numbers almost across the board last season, posting averages of 22.9 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 48.3 percent from the field.

West, 38, certainly shouldn’t feel bad about struggling to keep up with a 24-year-old set to hit the peak of his career.